Day 11: 31 Days of Prayer

Day 11: 31 Days of Prayer

Verse:

But the Lord answered her: "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things, but only one thing is needed: Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:41-42 - TB)

Reflection:

The story of Mary and Martha is one of those stories we have heard many times over. I know that for me, when someone starts teaching about this story, I quickly think, "Yes, yes ... I have heard this before. Martha is the busy person, too caught up in her own work when she should be like Mary, sitting at the Lord's feet." Intellectually, I know the story. I understand its moral lesson:  "spending quality time with our Lord and Savior is the single most important thing in my day." Yet sadly, many times this head knowledge is not reflected in the way I live my life. Right now, we cannot literally sit at Jesus' feet. However, the Lord has graciously given us His Word, the Bible, which is so readily available for us to read. Along with this, the Lord has given us the wonderful gift of prayer. We have the blessing of being able to “sit close to Jesus' feet” anywhere, anytime. Often I forget this amazing privilege. I am so quick to be consumed by the tasks of my day. Often the pattern in my life is this: the busier I am, the less I pray. This clearly should be the other way around! The busier we are, the more vulnerable we can be to stress, irritation, anger, and so on. I need prayer to overcome these emotions and to behave rightly in the middle of a crazy day. I need continual prayer in my life, especially during the busiest days.

Challenge:

Today, if you feel “worried and upset” by many things or more inclined to take action than to be still before the Lord, take time to stop and pray. Trust the words of Jesus, which He said to Martha, “only a few things are needed - or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Trust that your time in prayer will bear fruit, and that nothing in your day can surpass the importance of intimate prayer time with our God.

Translated from the article “31 Days of Prayer: Day 11” by Cortney Fink